What’s wrong with Mariners’ Figgins?

Chone Figgins is among the many Mariners struggling at the plate during the first six weeks of the season. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Chone Figgins smiled with his parents in the offseason when he became the newest Mariner amid a flurry of moves.

The prospect of his .395 on-base percentage and can-do attitude while running the bases made statheads and eye assessors smile, too. Batting next to a man who collects 200 hits annually, what would the Figgins/Ichiro combo do?

Well, little.

That’s not on Ichiro. Staying in his comfort zone in the lineup, in the field and geographically, he’s on pace for 222 hits. Ichiro’s .348 batting average (as of Friday morning) is fifth in the major leagues. His .395 on-base percentage is well above his career norm of .378.

It is on Figgins. The man moved from third base, out of his leadoff spot and into a new home has struggled. His .185 average is the lowest for a regular on a team full of averages weighted with anvils.

Figgins said it happens.

“I think every ball player goes through something like this,” Figgins said last week.

That’s not true for him.

Figgins has never finished a full year hitting less than .267. His career splits are remarkably consistent. Figgins has hit .294 at home, .282 on the road. A solid .277 in the day, .293 at night. Before the All-Star break, .283. After, .294. He also hit a cool .300 in Angel Stadium.

Figgins is a .239 career hitter at Safeco Field, his second-lowest average in parks where he has had 100-plus at-bats and lowest in stadiums where he has had 200-plus at-bats.

The maxim of first-pitch importance is never more true than for Figgins in 2010. If the first pitch is a strike, he hits .125 afterward and has an on-base percentage of .183. If it’s a ball, Figgins hits .244 and has an on-base percentage of .492. Not surprisingly, things get even better following a 2-0 count. Figgins hikes his average to .286 and his on-base percentage to a meteoric .615.

Here’s the good: Despite his putrid average, Figgins still has an on-base percentage of .320. He’s third in the majors with 25 walks and on pace for a staggering 129 should he have as many at-bats as last season.

Not to mention if you meet Figgins, you want him to succeed and know he’s a worker. He didn’t drag his supposed 5-foot-8 frame to the All-Star game by being lazy.

His answer, if not his hitting, has been consistent when asked about his struggles or the club’s. Simply, give it another go.

“Have to, that’s life,” Figgins said. “Just keep fighting every day. It’s tough for all of us, but you know what, you need to go home, enjoy your family and try it again tomorrow.”